Wrong Path
by poet84
Summary: Ron, feeling hurt and angry with the world, disappears after the battle at Hogwarts. Four years later he is back and hoping that the path he chose hasn't ruined his chances at the life that he wanted. *Title may change*
1. Chapter 1

*This is my first Harry Potter fanfic so beware. Also, I do not own Harry Potter in any way shape or form. I am simply bored and couldn't get this story idea out of my head. Finally, the chapters may go from long to short and back again depending on what is going on in the story. Now, enjoy!*

**Okay, so not much has changed, but here is the revised first chapter of Wrong Path.**

It had been one week since the battle of Hogwarts. One week since the death of his brother and many of his friends. His family, while still somber, was starting the process of moving on. Harry and Ginny were back together. He could hear their soft laughter right now. George returned to the shop in Diagon Alley. Percy was staying in his old room, trying to help in any way he could. Apparently, he still felt guilty about turning his back on them. Charlie went back to Romania after the funeral and Bill and Fleur returned to Shell Cottage. Hermione had decided to stay with them for a little while before looking for her parents.

Hermione.

She had tried to comfort him, but her presence only upset him more. She made him happy, and that was the problem. He shouldn't be happy. None of them should. Fred was dead and he wasn't coming back. There should be more tears. They shouldn't be able to forget about him so quickly. What about Tonks? Or Lupin? Or all of the others who had died in the battle against Voldemort? Why was it so easy for them to forget?

A soft knock at the door caused him to sigh. He knew that they were worried about him, but he couldn't care less. "Ron?" Hermione's soft voice carried through the door and into his consciousness. He remained silent, hoping that she would just go away. There was a high pitched squeak as the door swung open and she entered. He kept his attention on the ground in front of him. He didn't want to see the pity in her eyes. "Ron, are you okay?"

He scoffed and finally turned his blood shot eyes toward her, "Am I okay? He's gone Hermione. They all are. Do you really expect me to be okay with that?" He dropped his gaze from her because he couldn't bear to see the pain she held in her brown eyes. "I'm not like the rest of you. I can't just let them go and pretend that everything is okay."

The creak of the bed springs and the slight shift of the mattress alerted him to the fact that she had joined him on the bed. "Nobody expects you to pretend like you're okay. We just want to help you. They died so that we could live. So that we wouldn't have to live in fear. They would want us to be happy."

Happiness felt like a betrayal. Hermione might be right, but he couldn't handle happiness right now. He was so full of anger and pain that all he wanted was to track down every single death eater that had survived the battle and finish them off. Her hand gripped his right one and gave it a gentle squeeze. Part of him wanted to smile. To pull her close and not let go. But the other, much larger, part was screaming at him to push her away. To leave before she could force him to forget his brother.

He stood up abruptly and dropped her hand, "I can't be happy Hermione. Why should we get to be happy when Fred is dead? Why does everyone think that it's okay that they aren't here?" He couldn't take it anymore. He couldn't handle being in this room. He pushed past Hermione and flew down the stairs. His mother was on the second floor landing. She tried to stop him, to ask what was wrong, but he didn't stop. Several pairs of footsteps trailed him, but he didn't turn back. He heard both Harry and Hermione calling his name, but he ignored it.

He crashed through the front door and disappeared with a loud 'crack', leaving a hysterical Hermione and several very confused Weasleys in his wake.

_Four Years Later_

He raced through the jungle hot on the trail of three death eaters. They were firing spells at him, but after four years of hunting down Voldemort's old supporters, he was easily able to avoid them. "Sectumsempra!" he yelled, taking down the trailing death eater. Blocking two more hexes, he slipped under a hanging branch and called out, "Confrigo!" One of the dark wizards burst into flames, but Ron didn't stop. With only a single adversary left he increased his speed. He wasn't going to let this one get away. He came to an opening in the jungle and caught sight of the death eater. Before he could disappear, Ron cried out, "Crucio!"

He approached calmly and only released the spell after he had removed the death eater's wand, "Tell me where I can find the others."

"What other? There are no others!" the man screamed.

"I don't believe you," Ron performed the spell again causing his victim to writhe and scream on the ground, "Now, where are the other death eaters."

"I don't know! Between you and the bloody ministry I don't think there are any more!"

Ron considered this for a moment before whispering, "Expulso." The man in front of him exploded causing bits of flesh and blood to stain Ron's already filthy clothing. Ron groaned, "Maybe I should save that one for when I'm further away."

He turned his back on the bloody scene and disapparated back to his camp site. Everything was as he left it. The tent that he took from the first death eater he found was filled with a detailed list that he had taken from Kingsley prior to his disappearance naming all known death eaters, several books that contained different spells and information on dark wizards, the food that he procured from a muggle shop, and the few possessions that he accumulated over the last few years.

It was a rather lonely existence, but the only one he knew anymore. He missed his friends and family, but there was no way that he could return to them. He wasn't the same person that they knew. He didn't think that he could ever truly be that person again. If he was being honest with himself, he was scared to death. He was scared that they would hate him, and he was scared that he had changed too much.

Grabbing the list, he scratched out the names of the last three death eaters. There were no other names since the ministry rounded up Crabbe and Goyle's fathers. They had been hiding somewhere in the Scottish highlands. _Were they really all gone? _He wasn't sure how to proceed from here. He didn't know of any other death eaters and the only solution he could think of was frightening to say the least. It would require going home, which he wasn't prepared to do yet. The ministry would know if the death eaters were truly gone, and if not, where they would be.

There were so many reasons for him not to go. His father and Percy still worked for the ministry. There was a very good chance that he could run into them. He wasn't sure what Harry and Hermione were doing, but Harry had talked about working as an auror so he could be there as well. He knew that Ginny had been recruited by the Holyhead Harpies; he had even attended one of her first games, so he wouldn't have to worry about running into her.

It's not like he couldn't disguise himself again. He, Harry, and Hermione were able to sneak in and get the locket from Umbridge. He knew where he had to go so he wouldn't need to take the time and search the ministry. Also, he would have the opportunity to see his father and make sure that his family was okay. He may not be ready to see them, but he still missed and worried about them.

Rather than continue to worry about it, Ron decided to go to sleep and decide what he would do in the morning. It would take a month to brew up some Polyjuice potion so he had some time to really think this through. In the end though, he knew that he would go. He had so many questions that he wanted answers to. As he fell asleep, his thoughts were clouded with his family, the ministry, Harry, and a certain bushy haired brunette that had been haunting his dreams for years.


	2. Chapter 2

_*So here is the revised chapter 2. Hope you like the new direction the story is taking. I will not be straying too far from my original concept, but it is going to be a little darker than originally planned. Enjoy*_

_One month later_

He had been watching the entrance to the ministry for the past week, hoping to find a suitable subject to use for the Polyjuice potion. He spotted his father several times over the last few days and had even seen Harry. Seeing them brought up mixed emotions in Ron. He was happy that they were okay, but then the uncontrollable fear would kick in. He was afraid that they would spot him and start bombarding him with questions which he couldn't handle.

He finally settled on Aaron McMichael who was a very shy, yet strangely imposing auror. It would be somewhat difficult to get his hair seeing as how he never took the same route to work. He did however stop into the Leaky Cauldron after work nearly every day. At first, Ron expected him to continue on to Diagon Alley, but he took a seat at a table in the corner and stayed there until supper time. He would have to catch Aaron when he was leaving on one of these nights. It was the only way he could think of to get the man's hair and subdue him long enough to get into the ministry and get out.

He returned to the hostel where he was staying for the week. It was slightly run down, but he didn't care. People left him alone for the most part. He still needed to return to his campsite where the Polyjuice potion was brewing. It still had another day until it would be finished. Sliding into the small bed, he went over his plans for the ministry tomorrow and eventually drifted off to sleep.

The next night found Ron standing down an alleyway watching the Leaky Cauldron. He was waiting for Aaron to leave so that he could put his plan into action. Ron was beginning to think that he wasn't coming when the door opened and he emerged. He waited for the man to pass by and sent a powerful sleeping spell at him and disapparated to his campsite where he would hide Aaron.

While he was there, he gathered the Polyjuice potion and packed up his belongings so that he could make a quick getaway if needed. He put Aaron McMichael in a sleeping bag to keep him warm for the night. Ron hoped that his sleeping spell would keep him out until tomorrow afternoon. He didn't want to deal with the auror if he woke up.

He left the still sleeping auror early the next morning and made his way to the ministry. No one spoke to Ron as he made his way into the bathroom and down the toilet. The lifts came into view and he slid in the first available one. The doors began to slide shut when a hand shot out and his father joined him. "Hello there Aaron, how are you today?"

Ron stiffened and answered in kind, "Fine. And how are you?" He would have left it at that, but he decided to add on, "How's the family?"

His father's face fell only slightly as he answered, "It's always hard this time of year with the anniversary of Fred's death and my other son Ron disappearing. There is a bright spot though. My granddaughter just turned two."

"Congratulations!" was all that Ron could come up with. _I have a niece!_ _What else has changed?_

His father continued, "Molly has been really busy putting together Harry and Ginny's wedding as well. You will be coming right?"

Ron was in shock, but luckily he was able to hide it quickly, "Of course I'll be there."

The lift came to a stop, "Ah, this is me. I will see you later Aaron." Ron barely managed a wave. His father's voice carried back to him, "Hello Hermione! How are you my dear?"

"In a hurry, but I will be over for dinner tonight!" Hermione called out as she flew into the lift nearly falling face first into the floor.

Ron was barely able to shoot an arm out to catch her. He pulled her to her feet, "Alright there, Hermione?" he asked.

She looked up to him with her big brown eyes before moving away from him, "I'm fine."

He knew that he shouldn't be talking to her, but he couldn't stop his mouth from asking the question, "How are you?"

She turned to him with a questioning look, "I'm fine, just busy. They're voting on the new house elf laws that I proposed today and I have to be down there."

He laughed and muttered, "Still on about _spew _I see." The lift opened on his destination and he slipped out.

She started to say, "It's not _spew, _its…Ron?" He made the mistake of turned at his name and noticed the shock and confusion written all over her face. There was another emotion there that he didn't expect, hope. The lift disappeared before she could do or say anything and he made his way to the auror's offices as fast as he could without drawing suspicion.

He finally made it to the main lobby and was surprised to see all of the aurors gathered, including Harry. Kingsley Shacklebolt was giving a speech that had to do with the hunt for death eaters.

"The bodies of Marius Kingsley, Dragomir Thornbush, and Samson Black were discovered a few days ago in the jungles of Africa. It appears as though our death eater vigilante has once again done our jobs for us. With these final deaths, our search for Voldemort's followers comes to an end. I would like to propose a toast," champagne glasses appeared throughout the crowd, "to all of you. Without your hard work and dedication, we could not have achieved this. Thank you all."

There was a unanimous call of "Cheers!" and the room broke out into a celebration. Ron was floored. It was really over. _What am I going to do now? _He noticed Harry making his way over to Kingsley and decided to follow.

"Sir, will we be going after the vigilante that has been killing off death eaters?" Harry asked.

Kingsley thought about it for a moment, "I'm not sure what we will do about our vigilante friend. I would like to find them and speak with them before making a decision. I don't believe that they are an evil person, but I could be wrong."

"Would you like me to look for them?" Harry offered.

Kingsley laughed, "If you would like to, but we have been searching for nearly four years and haven't found them." He grew serious, "I think we do need to be vigilant. I believe that the vigilante will stop now that the death eaters are all killed or captured, but I don't want to become complacent. They could still be a threat." Harry nodded and Ron slipped from the crowd. His time was nearly up and he wanted to make it out of the ministry before Hermione could alert anyone. He had already been there too long as it is.

He made it to the lifts with no problems, but when he reached the main lobby of the ministry, there was Hermione standing next to his father. They were talking rather excitedly and scanning the crowd. He crouched down behind some witches coming from the lifts and followed them as far as he could. He was getting closer to his father and Hermione when Harry's voice called out over the crowd, "Hermione!"

She turned and waved him over frantically. Ron ducked behind the fountain, close enough to hear, but out of sight. "Harry! He's alive!"

"Who's alive?" Harry asked as he approached.

"Ron! He was here! He was disguised as Aaron McMichael!" Hermione explained.

Harry's face fell slightly. He looked like he was about to tell her that her puppy had just been killed, "Hermione, Ron's been gone for four years. We haven't been able to find him. We…"

She cut him off, "Harry, listen to me! He asked how I was and I told him about the new house elf laws that I was trying to get passed. He laughed and said something about _spew!_ How would Aaron McMichael know anything about S.P.E.W? Ron was the only one that called it _spew!"_

His father placed his hand on Hermione's shoulder, "I believe that Hermione might be right, Harry. I encountered Aaron in the lifts and he seemed surprised when I mentioned Victoire."

Apparently, he hadn't hidden his surprise as well as he thought. Ron knew that he had to get out of there. They would figure it out soon enough and he wanted to be far away when they did. He made his way towards the floo network to make his escape when someone began calling out over the crowd. He didn't think too much about who they were calling until his name rang out. It was Harry and judging by the sound, he wasn't far behind Ron. He took off running and made it to the fire just as Harry made it through the crowd with Hermione and his father right behind. They locked eyes and he saw the confusion and hurt etched on their faces. He felt the familiar pull as he disappeared from the ministry, but the image of their last looks remained in his mind.


	3. Chapter 3

*Okay so here is the next chapter. I still may be moving too fast for some, but I don't care. Enjoy*

Ron spent the next two weeks running from his past. He never stayed anywhere longer than a few hours, and had narrowly escaped a run in with Kingsley Shacklebolt. The older auror appeared alongside the river he was using for water. Luckily, Ron was able to disapparate before Kingsley realized he was there. The constant movement was wearing on him. Even during the hunt for the horcruxes there were times that they could rest.

Now that the death eaters were all dead, he had no purpose. He should be able to stop, to settle down, but he was scared. For four years he had been on the move, hunting down death eaters, and saving several lives in the process. He might have gone about it all wrong, but he couldn't change that. His life had revolved around his self imposed mission so much, that he couldn't imagine trying to live a normal life.

He was currently in the south of France, hidden in an old wood. The trees were thick and offered him protection from the rain that beat down and the prying eyes of the muggle community that was situated near the edge. For so long, he had avoided populated areas. Instead, he opted for remote locations that would conceal him. Lately, he had found himself settling closer to towns and villages, ever since his visit to the ministry.

The looks on their faces as he escaped into the fireplace haunted him. The hurt was a palpable force that reached through his dreams and caused him physical pain. He would wake, screaming and clutching at his chest, unable to stop the pain. It wasn't just his father's face, or Harry's, or Hermione's. It was his entire family that would star in his dreams. They would demand to know why he left and beg him to come home.

He awoke, clutching at his chest and stifling a scream. After the pain subsided, he slowly climbed out of bed and reached for his clothes. The rain outside had calmed to a light drizzle, allowing him to hear as the forest came alive around him. He stuck his head out of the tent in time to see a doe disappear into the thick brush. His eyes scanned the darkness, adjusting slowly to the dim lighting.

It was peaceful and helped Ron to clear his mind. He settled underneath the branches of a large tree, allowing the peace to engulf his body. His thoughts once again were filled with his family and friends, but this time, they were good memories that they had shared. Before long, Ron found himself back in the tent, packing his belongings in an almost trancelike state.

He was going home. The thought alone excited, and frightened him. He knew that he might have to answer to the ministry for his actions, but he didn't care. He wanted to see his family. He wanted the chance to make amends to them for leaving. It took a long time for him to realize that he wasn't really made at them, and that he shouldn't have disappeared the way he did so soon after Fred's death. All he did was cause them even more pain.

Once he was finished, he turned on the spot and disapparated. The Burrow came into view soon after, but the paralyzing fear that had kept him away for so long returned. The lights were on in the kitchen and there were several shadows moving around. He knew that one of them had to be his mother. The only other person that he could think of that would be up this early would be his father.

He took a tentative step forward, willing his legs to keep moving. If it weren't for the fear he felt, he would have laughed at himself. He had no fear of dark wizards anymore, but threaten him with a tongue lashing from his mother and he turned into a scared little boy.

As he neared the house the urge to run overcame him, but he didn't flee. He reached the door and knocked softly. There was a rustling from the other side of the door and it flew open to reveal Molly Weasley. Her eyes were bloodshot and there were fresh tear tracks cascading down her cheeks. "Ron?"

He gave a small smile, "Hi mum."

There was a commotion from the kitchen and her eyes filled with fear. Kingsley Shacklebolt appeared around the corner with his wand pointed at Ron. Instinct took over and Ron's wand was in his hands before he realized what had happened. "Molly move away," he said in a calm, but authoritative voice.

She looked to him in shock, "He's my son." His father appeared and placed his hands on Molly's shoulders.

Kingsley didn't take his eyes off of Ron, "I know who he is Molly. He is our prime suspect in the murder of over twenty-three death eaters."

Anger took over Ron, "How many death eaters have you killed? You would have killed them too if you had seen what I did!"

"So you admit it?" Kingsley asked.

"Yeah I admit it! They were slaughtering a muggle village!" Ron's anger ebbed and was replaced with sorrow. With a shudder, he added, "They massacred them all. There were only a few left alive when I got there."

Kingsley could see the faraway look in Ron's eyes. They were clouded over and tears were threatening to spill over. Kingsley's wand lowered slightly, but remained pointed in Ron's general direction, "I have to take you in."

"What!?" Molly's voice rang out. "Is that really necessary Kingsley?" his father added.

Kingsley's hand shot up to silence them, "At least until we can confirm your story. I will need to know everything."

Ron's eyes cleared once more and focused on Kingsley. He seriously considered diving out of the way and running for it, but he couldn't run away again. He had to face the consequences of his actions. He lowered his wand, "I'll go with you, but I want a few minutes to talk to my parents. Is that alright?" Kingsley nodded and moved behind him so that he could stand just outside the door. "I'm so sorry to both of you. I know that I messed up. I shouldn't have left like I did."

He was pulled into a bone crushing hug, "Why?"

He knew what she was asking. Why did he leave? His reasons all seemed silly now, "I was upset. It doesn't really matter now. Tell everyone that I'm sorry." He turned away from them and joined Kingsley outside, "I hope you can forgive me someday." Kingsley grabbed his hand and they disappeared before anything more could be said.

He spent the rest of that day recounting the last four years to Kingsley. It was difficult for him to relive some of those moments, but it was making him feel a little better to get it out. He had held on to it for so long that it felt like a weight was slowly being lifted from him. The hardest part was talking about all the people he wasn't able to save. The massacre of the Johrundr tribe was the most difficult. Seeing all the children lying lifeless, their faces contorted with fear caused his stomach to turn.

He was later moved to a cell in Azkaban while he waited for the aurors to confirm his story. It was a cold and unforgiving place. Screams could be heard at all times of the night from its deranged inhabitants, and the damp, ocean air made it nearly impossible to get warm. Ron sat huddled in a corner with his hands covering his ears in an attempt to block out the screams that would never fully go away. Exhaustion forced him into a restless sleep filled with memories that he would rather forget.

*I considered going into detail about his missing time, but I wanted it to come out a little at a time later on.*


	4. Chapter 4

Ron continued to count the days that passed as he waited. So far he had been trapped in his cell for seventeen days with no information from anyone. He didn't know what they found, or if they were even looking. His head was pounding from the constant screaming and he was exhausted from lack of sleep which was causing his mind to go to a very dark place. _They aren't even trying to find out if I'm telling the truth. They wanted me in here all along. I'm going to end up like Sirius, insane and alone. _

His thoughts continued to grow darker the longer he waited. Finally, after twenty-six days in Azkaban, Kingsley arrived to speak with him. His dark face appeared through the crack in the door and his eyes took in Ron's appearance. Ron's eyes appeared to be sunken in and had dark bags under his eyes. The usual bright blue color of his eyes had dulled and the blank stare that Ron was giving him reminded Kingsley of a corpse.

The door creaked open and Kingsley stepped inside, "Hello Ron." When it became apparent that Ron had no intention of answering he continued, "We found the village you spoke of. The handful of survivors corroborated your story."

Ron's dead eyes met his, "So you have been looking."

"Of course we have been looking. It appears that you were telling the truth about your actions regarding the death eaters. There are, however, several that you have not accounted for. The first four that you mentioned, you gave no reason for their deaths."

Ron's voice shook slightly as he answered, and his eyes flashed for a moment, "Fred."

Kingsley guessed as much from his interviews with the Weasleys, Harry, and Hermione. He had already spoken to the minister about Ron and was authorized to release him if his story were found to be correct. Ron's actions, while not entirely condoned, they were understandable. He originally went after the death eaters to avenge his brother, but his actions had saved the lives of many muggles and magical families alike.

Kingsley moved in front of Ron, "I've been authorized to release you, but there are conditions." The flash that he saw earlier returned to Ron's eyes. It was faint, but it encouraged Kingsley that the boy he knew could return, "You will be released into the custody of your mother and father for the next six months. You are not to leave the burrow unless accompanied by them. Your wand will remain locked up in the ministry for the duration of your sentence. You will be expected to check in with me periodically over the next two years. If you violate any of these conditions you will be charged with the murder of those first four death eaters and will return to Azkaban. Is that understood?"

Ron nodded slowly, "I can go home?"

Kingsley held out his hand which Ron accepted. They wandered through the corridors until finally reaching the front area where Ron was given his clothes back. Walking out of the doors, Ron took a deep breath. He was free once again. Kingsley once again held out his hand in order to disapparate them to the burrow.

Harry sat at his desk with a blank look on his face. He had returned from Africa the day prior, after finding the village that Ron told Kingsley about. He was happy that his friend was telling the truth. It worried him when Ron disappeared from the ministry without a word. Hermione and Arthur were hurt by Ron's actions, but Harry understood what it was like. He remembered when Sirius died. He pushed everyone away and wanted nothing more than to go after Bellatrix.

"Harry. Harry!"

His head turned and he noticed Roger Longley in the doorway to his office, "Oh, hello Roger." Harry reached for a file and pretended to be looking through it.

Roger came in and took the seat across from him, "It seems as though Hermione isn't the only one who's distracted."

Harry sighed and put the folder back down, "It's hard not to be. How's Hermione?"

Roger folded his hands in his lap, "Distant. I can't imagine what you all must be going through. I didn't know Ron, but I've heard enough about him to know how close the three of you were."

Harry nodded. Ron was his first friend. He was the brother that Harry never had and always wanted. It hurt when he disappeared and even more when they presumed him dead, "We were close alright."

"Is he the reason you and Ginny postponed your wedding?" Roger asked.

Harry nodded once more, "We wanted to help clear him so that maybe he could be at the wedding." A knock on the door caused both men to turn. Kingsley entered, but refused the seat offered, "Ron has been released. He is at the Burrow now."

Harry nearly jumped for joy at the release of his friend, but did his best to contain his excitement, "Can I see him?"

Kingsley shook his head, "You may want to give Ron a few days to adjust. He has spent the last month in Azkaban and he may need some time."

Harry nodded and Kingsley turned to leave, "Would you like to tell Miss Granger or shall I?"

"I'll tell her." Kingsley nodded and left. He turned back to Roger, "Where is Hermione right now?"

"She should be in her office. She has been going over law books for weeks in case you couldn't clear Ron's name."

Harry thanked Roger and ran to the lifts. When he arrived on Hermione's floor he had a clear path to her door. Without knocking he burst in, "He's been released!"

Her eyes shot up from the book she was reading to take in Harry's smiling face. Jumping out of her chair, she ran to Harry and enveloped him in a hug, "When can we see him? Is he here?"

He shook his head and released her, "He's at the Burrow. Kingsley said that we need to give him some time to adjust. I was under the impression that his time in Azkaban was hard on him."

This news seemed to distress her for a moment, "I'll contact Molly immediately and find out when we can see him. It's been over four years! They can't expect us to stay away for long, now can they?"

Harry smiled as he watched her hastily scribble a note and called for an owl. The first two years of Ron's disappearance had been rough on her. She would go from being sad to angry to hysterical in a matter of minutes. She spent the first six months searching for Ron, and when that didn't pan out she threw herself into her work. He didn't see any of the sadness or anger that he expected from her. She seemed like her old self which was nice. He credited Roger for that. He really helped her through her pain when he couldn't.

The owl that she used to send the letter returned with a short reply:

_Hermione, _

_Ron is home thank goodness, but he does need some time. He has asked us to give him a week before we allow any visitors. I'm going to plan a family dinner for everyone next week so you can see him then. _

_Love,_

_Molly_

Hermione's face fell just the tiniest bit, but after so many years around her, he saw it, "It looks like we'll be seeing him next week."

He put his arm around her shoulders, "It'll be okay Hermione. At least we get to see him next week." She nodded and smiled at him.


	5. Chapter 5

*Okay, I'm not sure I like this chapter much, but I will let you decide.*

Ron had spent the last three days in his room. At first, his mother seemed to fret over him, but he started to realize that she was trying to find excuses to get away from him. She would come around and ask him if he needed anything and then leave before he could answer her. When he would come out of his room for food, or to go to the bathroom, his parents acted overly polite. None of this bothered him until a strange man flooed in that afternoon.

"Molly? Arthur?" came a questioning voice from the living room.

"Roger! Hello dear, how are you?" Ron watched from the stairway as she ran to the stranger and embraced him. "Are you hungry? I was just making lunch."

He heard the man laugh, "I'm fine Molly, and lunch sounds wonderful."

Ron finally caught a glimpse of Roger as he made his way to the kitchen with his mother. He wasn't very tall, with dark brown hair and hazel eyes. He looked to be around the same age as Ron and he wondered who this man was. Getting up from his seat, he wandered into the kitchen where his mother was laughing at something Roger said.

"Mum, who's this?" Ron asked and inclined his head toward Roger.

The man stood and offered Ron his hand, "I'm Roger Longley, and you must be Ron. It's nice to meet you."

Ron stared at the offered hand for a minute before taking it with his own. "How do you know my mother?"

"Ronald!"

Roger smiled at her, "It's okay Molly. I met your family through Hermione and Harry. Hermione brought me over for dinner one night after we moved in together."

Roger failed to notice the look of horror that overcame Molly's face. Ron forced himself to hide his surprise and keep the cold glare on his face. _Hermione is living with this prat!? _His mother shifted nervously behind Roger, "Lunch is ready! Why don't we sit and eat?"

Roger pulled a chair out and Ron moved to sit directly across from him. Ron ate in silence and watched the interaction between his mother and Roger. Once they got past the uncomfortable silence that descended when Ron entered, they were able to fall into an easy conversation. Apparently, _Roger, _worked with Harry at the ministry. Their conversation was bothering Ron on so many levels. He should be the one working with Harry. He should be the one conversing with his mother. He should be the one living with Hermione.

Ron finally got annoyed listening to them talking and stormed out. He wasn't sure if he could stand being stuck here for the next six months. He was beginning to think that it would have been better if he had stayed gone.

Ron had become even more withdrawn after his encounter with Roger. He had a perpetual scowl locked on his face and he avoided his mother even more. The 'family' dinner was supposed to be tonight and he was dreading it. He knew that tonight would be tense, and the last thing that he wanted was to pretend like everything was okay. Voices began to filter up from the living room and he sighed.

Ron took a deep breath and made his way down to the living room. They were all engaged in different conversations and they didn't notice him come into the room. He knew that he was the one that had been in the wrong for leaving, so he decided to try. Taking a deep breath, he spoke up, "Hello everyone."

The room went quiet while everyone stared at him. The Ron they knew would have shifted uncomfortably under their scrutiny, but he refused to show weakness. As uncomfortable as it was to have them all staring, he accepted it. Ginny was the first to move. She pushed through the rest of the Weasleys and embraced her long lost brother.

It was during Ginny's embrace that the old Ron seemed to break through a little. There was a look of shock that flitted across his face as he awkwardly tried to return the hug. He quickly, but gently, pushed her away after a few seconds. He tried to give her a smile, but it came out a grimace. She simply nodded and moved away.

Harry waited until the rest of the Weasleys had greeted him before he and Hermione made their way over to him. "Hello mate. Long time no see." He held his hand out to his old friend who shook it.

Ron noticed that Harry seemed to be the only one comfortable talking to him. Everyone else seemed strained in their interactions, but not him. Ron smiled at his friend. It wasn't a very big smile, but it was the closest he could manage. He turned to Hermione who was shuffling behind Harry, "Hello Hermione."

She looked towards him and smiled timidly before moving forward to hug him. "We missed you Ron." He caught sight of Roger who was holding his niece Victoire and talking to Bill and Fleur and immediately let go of Hermione. He could feel his anger bubbling up again at the sight of the man.

"What's he doing here?" he asked them.

They both turned their heads to see who he was talking about. It was Hermione that answered, "That's Roger. He's a friend of ours."

"Friend…right." When they turned back Ron was gone.

The entire evening was uncomfortable to say the least. Ron barely spoke to anyone throughout dinner and Hermione was getting frustrated by his monosyllabic responses. Everyone was on edge, trying to make Ron comfortable. By the end of the night Hermione had enough. They were getting ready to leave and Ron simply grunted in response and moved towards the stairway. "Ronald Weasley you get your arse back here now!" She was a little surprised by her outburst, but she wasn't going to back down.

Everyone stood there with their mouths slightly ajar and he seemed to be just as shocked for a moment. He turned around and slowly approached until he was standing over her with an expectant look on his face. She shrunk back at first, but she hurriedly straightened out her clothing and stood as tall as she could in front of him, "How dare you treat us like this! We thought you were dead! We are all trying so hard to not upset you and I'm sick of it! You are acting like a complete arse and I think you owe us all an apology."

The look of shock was replaced with a scowl. He took a step closer to her, "You have no idea what I've been through Hermione. I…"

"How do you expect us to know what happened if you won't even talk to us!?"

"How do you expect me to talk to you or anyone else Hermione?" He threw his arms up, "None of you have been all that chatty towards me! My own mother has been doing all she could to avoid me this past week! Do you know that you're the first person besides Harry to look me in the eye all night?"

"We don't know how to act around you Ron," his mother said.

"You're so angry Ron. We are all happy that you're home, but you haven't exactly been approachable," Ginny added.

"You've all replaced me and you expect me to be happy about it?" he asked causing a confused look to fall over everyone's faces.

"What are you talking about Ron?" Harry asked.

He pointed at Roger, "You and Hermione's new best mate. Even mum prefers him to me." He saw a look of pity flash across Harry's face and he rolled his eyes. Turning away he mumbled, "Don't know why I bothered coming back at all."

Hermione's anger flared up again, "I don't know why you bothered either!"

Arthur stepped in. He stayed out of it until now, but it was getting out of hand. His wife was sobbing loudly and he wanted to avoid an even bigger row. "Ron, nobody is replacing you. We love you son." Ron crossed his arms over his chest and looked away. The sound of his mother's sobs were affecting him more than he wanted to show. "Hermione, it's getting late. Maybe we should call it a night. That goes for all of you."

She looked to Arthur who had a hard look on his face. She nodded and followed Harry, Ginny, and Roger to the fireplace where they would floo home. She glanced back once to find Ron looking at her. She held the gaze for a few moments before turning back to the fireplace and disappearing.


	6. Chapter 6

*I was asked about a George/Ron interaction and here it is. I didn't want to include it during the family dinner because I figured it would be too tense of a situation for them to be comfortable speaking. Also, this explains Roger and Hermione's relationship a little I think*

Ron sat on his bed later that week reading when there was a knock on the door. He ignored it at first, but his brother's voice soon followed, "Ron…it's me, George. Can I come in?" Ron looked at the door for a moment before getting up and unlocking it. He opened the door for his brother who entered and sat on Ron's bed. They sat together in silence for quite a while before George spoke again, "Why did you leave? I know you were upset about Fred, but so was I. We all were."

Ron sighed. He really didn't want to tell his brother what happened because looking back he knew that he had been an idiot. He closed his eyes and tried to explain what he was feeling at the time, "I was angry. I felt like nobody cared that he was gone. They all seemed to move on so quickly. Truthfully, I wanted revenge. I wanted to make Voldemort's followers pay for what they had done, so I left."

"I wish I had gone with you." Ron finally turned to look at his brother. George's shoulders were hunched, as if he carried a great weight and in his eyes Ron could see sadness, longing, and regret. This was not the George that he knew. This wasn't even the George that attended the dreadful family dinner. At least then he acted somewhat like the old him. Maybe that was all it was…acting.

Ron turned away again, "I'm glad you didn't."

George grew angry, "You think you're the only one who was missing him!? How do you think I felt? He was my twin brother! Every time I look in the mirror I see his face. I can't escape him." George's voice grew softer toward the end and Ron once again felt like a total prat for insinuating that George didn't care.

"I'm glad that you didn't come because of what happened when I left. I'm not proud of who I started to become."

"What happened?" George asked.

Ron once again closed his eyes. Kingsley was the only person that knew about the things Ron had done. He sat there silently debating whether or not to tell him. Finally, he turned so that he was staring George in the eye, "When I first left home, I had no idea where to start. It wasn't until I remembered the list of known death eaters that Kingsley began compiling prior to the battle that I started on my path. I stole the list and began the task of locating them. It took me several months, but I was finally able to track down one of the names on the list. Samson Flaghorn. He was hiding out in a forest near Liverpool. When I found his campsite it was empty, so I waited. When he arrived I stunned him. I really didn't know what the bloody hell I was doing at the time, so I improvised. I took his wand and tied him up. I tried to get him to talk, but he would just laugh at me. I got so angry and cast the crutiatus curse on him. After a few minutes he started talking. He eventually told me where I could find Raven Slipshaw. While I was debating over what to do with him, he broke free and tried to tackle me. That was when I cast the killing curse. It was so easy." Ron saw his brother shiver and gave a short, derisive laugh, "He may have been the first, but he wasn't the last. I thought that I was doing the right thing. That I was giving them what they deserved, but all I was doing was turning into a killer myself. Now do you see why I'm glad you didn't come with me?"

The cold, detached way in which Ron spoke of killing scared him, but George could see shame in his eyes while he spoke. "He was a death eater Ron. Who knows how many people he's tortured or killed," George said trying to comfort his brother.

"That is how I justified my actions at the time. One thing I've realized though, the more you justify it, the easier it becomes. I killed three more death eaters after him, and it wasn't until that fourth time that I realized what I was becoming. I saw the terror that was permanently etched onto my victim's face and it brought me back. I wanted to come home. I wanted to forget what I had done, but I couldn't. I was too ashamed to face any of you. After that I began following them. I wanted to make sure that I was doing it for the right reasons. I began only killing those that I caught harming others. It was still wrong, but I just couldn't stop."

George was silent and Ron allowed him this time to take in what he said. Ron had told him the G rated version of the story, but it was the truth. He didn't want to go into any more detail than he had to. It was hard enough living with what he had done. They remained there in his room, neither one talking, each just contemplating the information that was shared.

Hermione sat on the couch in her flat with a cold cup of coffee in her hands. She had been lost in thought for the last hour, replaying the argument she had with Ron. She probably shouldn't have snapped, but he was so infuriating! He was treating them all as if they were a bother and she couldn't take it. Ginny had really laid into her after they had left. She was afraid that Hermione would push too hard and Ron would disappear again. She hadn't planned on yelling at Ron, but she couldn't help it. He brought out the worst in her.

Roger joined her on the couch, "Galleon for your thoughts?"

She shook her head, "They aren't worth that much."

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked.

"Do you think I over-reacted at dinner?"

He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her toward him, "I think you were upset. I think that part of you wanted him to be your friend Ron, the one that you knew, but he isn't. He was right when he said that you had no idea what he's been through, nobody does."

"He could tell us! At least Harry and I! We've been through so much together! We could have helped him through it."

Roger gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze, "Hermione, it's probably hard for him to talk about. I don't think it helped, you yelling at him."

"I don't know what to do," she admitted.

"Give him some time. Let him decide whether he wants to talk to you or not. If he comes to you, then listen to him without judgment…"

"Honestly, I don't know if I can do that."

Roger laughed and continued, "And if he doesn't come to you then you need to accept that."

She sighed and he kissed her on the temple, "Did I ever tell you how glad I am that we met?"

He laughed again, "I believe you have."

She finally noticed his outfit, "Are you going out?"

A faint blush crept onto his cheeks, "Yeah, I've got a date tonight."

"Anyone I know?" she asked.

He rolled his eyes, "No you don't know him. We met at the Leaky Cauldron last week and he asked me for coffee."

She gave him a genuine smile, "I'm glad. You deserve a night out." He gave her another hug and left. She stared at the door for a few minutes before getting up. She knew that Roger was right. Ron needed time. He would come to her when he was ready to talk…right?

**This story is taking a very different tone from what I first imagined. You got to see your first glimpse into Ron's time away and his feeleings towards it. It may not be what people want or expect, but this is how it came out.**


	7. Chapter 7

*Okay so here is the next chapter, and we get to see Ron interact with Harry. Enjoy*

Ron came downstairs the next morning to find his mother hard at work in the kitchen. She was cooking a rather large breakfast and scrubbing away at some unseen dirt on the table. She was obviously a little distracted since she continued to clean the same spot for nearly five minutes. He finally decided to speak up, "Do you need some help mum?"

She jumped slightly at the sound of his voice, "Oh, Ronald, you scared me."

"I'm sorry. So...did you need some help?"

She gave him a dumbfounded look. Ron had never been one to volunteer to do chores before, "Well...if you want, you could de-gnome the garden for me. The little buggers seem to have multiplied over the last few months."

Ron nodded and moved for the door. De-gnoming the garden had never been one of his favorite chores, but it gave him something to do. He had been hold up in his room for weeks now and it felt good to be outside doing something. He quickly got into a rhythm and only took a break when he was called for breakfast. Within a few hours the garden was clear and Ron felt better than he had for a while. The repetiveness in the action helped him clear his head.

When he went back into the house, his mother was readying herself for a trip to see Harry and Ginny. "I'm done. Is there anything else that you need me to do?"

She looked up and smiled, "No dear. Thank you for doing that for me. I haven't had much time lately, and everyone else is gone." She flinched and grew quiet, almost as if she was expecting to get in trouble.

"I'm here now. I'll make sure it doesn't get that bad again."

Her eyes met his and she smiled once more. "I'm going to see Harry and Ginny. Would you like to come along?" She saw his hesitation and continued, "I'm just going straight over there and back."

He gave a heavy sigh, "Do I have time to shower first?"

"Of course dear."

Harry and Ginny were surprised to see Ron standing with Molly when they opened the door. Their surprise quickly turned to excitement as Ron and Molly were ushered into Grimmauld Place. Ron was surprised to see how much Grimmauld Place had changed over the years. It was clean and the painting of Sirius' mother had been removed. The walls were painted a light blue color that really lightened the place up, and there were now pictures of Harry's parents, the Weasley clan, and all of their friends from Hogwarts lining the walls.

"Quite a bit different, isn't it?"

Ron turned to see Harry behind him. The women had left to the kitchen to finish preparing lunch, "Yeah. I guess I was expecting it to be the same."

"Some things are still the same." Ron turned to his friend, "Come with me. I'll show you."

Ron followed Harry up the stairs until they reached Sirius' old room. It had been cleaned, but they had kept it the same as when Sirius had been a boy. The bed was made, and the toys had been picked up and placed inside of his old school trunk. Ron sighed, "Even this has changed. I guess nothing can ever really stay the same, can it?"

"Change can be good," Harry offered with a smile. Ron couldn't return the smile. He knew that not all change is good. "Speaking of change...there was something I wanted to talk to you about." Ron nodded and followed Harry down to the sitting room. "Would you like something to drink? We've got butterbeer, firewiskey, water..."

"I'll take some water." Harry busied himself getting their drinks while Ron watched him. "You wanted to talk to me?" Ron asked.

Harry took the seat across from him, "Uh, yes, I did. I'm sure you know about mine and Ginny's engagement?" Ron nodded, "Well, I asked George to be my best man because you were gone, but now that you're back, I was hoping that you would do it."

Ron's eyes grew wide, "I thought you and Ginny got married while I was in Azkaban?"

"We were supposed to, but we wanted to put it off until you could be there."

Ron was completely thrown by Harry's request. They had been best mates growing up, but they hadn't spent any time together in years. He was also nervous of being forced to be around that many people, "I'm not sure mate. I'm not very good around people anymore. Why me? I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm honored, but I haven't exactly been around. Wouldn't George be a better choice?" Ron's face grew dark, "With everything I've done, I'm not sure that I deserve to be your best man."

Harry shook his head and leaned in towards Ron, "You're my best mate. It doesn't matter that you haven't been around. You were my first friend, you helped me through every major thing that has ever happened in my life, and if it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be marrying Ginny in the first place." Ron lowered his gaze to the floor. He knew that Harry was right, but he still didn't feel like he deserved it, "Look at me Ron." Ron's eyes met his, "You're my brother. I don't care what you did because I know you. I know what it's like to watch someone you love get murdered right in front of you. If it hadn't been for you, Hermione, and Dumbledor, I would have probably done the same thing you did when Sirius was killed." Harry stood and walked over to the fireplace, "You don't have to tell me what happened while you were away, but if you want to talk, I'm here."

Ron sat there for several minutes, thinking about Harry's request. He didn't want to deal with everyone that would inevitably be at Harry's wedding, but if Harry was willing to accept him without explanation, then the least he could do was support his best friend. He took a deep breath and joined Harry by the fireplace, "I'll do it."

Harry gave him a big smile that Ron reluctantly returned. "The wedding is in three weeks at the Burrow. We're going to need to get you a suit." Ron groaned and Harry laughed, "Sorry mate, but there's no getting around that."

"Anything else?" Ron asked.

"George is taking care of the bachelor party, which would be a good opportunity to get you around people before the wedding."

Ron elicited another groan, but thought of a way he might get out of it, "You know that I can't go unless dad is there, right?"

"Don't worry, he's going." Harry saw the defeated look on his friend's face, "You don't have to go if you don't want, but I would really like it if you were there."

Ron nodded, "What kind of best man would I be if I didn't go." Harry clapped Ron on the shoulder who only grunted in response.

"Boys! Lunch is ready!" They two men made their way to the kitchen. Harry was happy to have his friend back. He may not be the same person he was before, but Harry didn't care. Ron was one of the few people that truly understood him. Ron was thinking about how we was going to get through the next few weeks. If anyone else had asked him to do something like this he would have turned them down, but he couldn't do that to Harry, or Ginny for that matter. It was going to be a long three weeks.

*Some might think that Harry is a little too understanding, but I don't care.*


	8. Chapter 8

**Okay so here is the new chapter that covers the week prior to the wedding. Sorry that it's a little short, but that is how it is. Enjoy.**

Two weeks after his talk with Harry, Ron found himself sitting at a bar at the back of a burlesque club. Harry was seated near the stage with his dad, George, Bill, Charlie, Percy, Neville, Seamus, Dean, Roger, Hagrid, Kingsley, and several aurors that he worked with at the ministry. Ron had been sitting with them, but the stares from his former friends were irritating him.

From the moment they entered the place Ron had a terrible feeling that he was being watched. He tried to brush it off, blaming it on the fact that he really didn't want to be there, but he couldn't shake it. Looking around the club, his eyes landed on a figure tucked away in a dark corner. He couldn't make out any details, but it was obvious that whoever it was didn't want to be seen.

A hand on his right shoulder sent him into survival mode. His right hand snaked under the attackers and grabbed them by the crook of the elbow pulling them around and slamming them onto the bar. His left hand cocked, but he stopped when he realized it was only George, "What the hell George!? I could've really hurt you!"

George's hands were up in surrender, "Sorry little brother. I didn't mean to sneak up on you."

Ron let go of him and sat back on the barstool rubbing his face with his hands, "Yeah, sorry if I hurt you. I've just had this weird feeling all night, and then you coming up behind me. I guess I just assumed the worst."

George looked back to see Kingsley and the others gripping their wands. He shook his head slightly, trying to tell them that everything was okay, "After what you told me I should know better than to come at you unannounced. I'll try to warn you next time." Ron wasn't listening. The figure that captured his attention earlier was gone. "Everything alright there Ron?"

Ron turned back to his brother, "I don't know. There was a man, at least I think it was a man, sitting in that corner just before you came over."

George took one look at Ron's face and knew that something was bothering him, "You wanna talk about it?" Ron only shook his head in response. He didn't feel like trying to explain what was going on with him. "Why don't we go back? This is a bachelor party for your best mate after all."

Ron's gaze returned to Harry, "Yeah, I guess you're right." He got up and looked at the clock. 10:27, he suppressed a groan and followed his brother back over to the festivities. Only another hour before he could go home.

The wedding preparations were going swimmingly. Molly had been able to finish the dresses for Hermione and Ginny, Ron and Harry's tuxes were set to be picked up that afternoon, and thanks to all of the work that Ron has been doing around the house and the yard it looks absolutely wonderful. The garden had been replanted, all of the gnomes were gone, and there was even grass growing in the normally barren yard.

Ron still wasn't talking to anyone but George. He would speak if spoken to, but he wouldn't go out of his way to talk to anyone. Molly was upset that he wouldn't confide in her, but a part of her was glad. She loved her son no matter what, but she was afraid that if she knew everything that went on with him over the last few years, that she wouldn't be able to look at him the same. It made her feel guilty.

When she first heard that Ron had agreed to be Harry's best man she thought that he was finally ready to open up. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. The closer the wedding got, the more standoffish he would become. Arthur told her about his weird behavior at the bachelor party, constantly shifting in his seat and glancing over his shoulder. He couldn't tell if Ron was nervous about being around everyone again, or if he was scared of something.

Molly looked up and saw Ron sitting out underneath a tree, reading. It was so very unlike him. It made her realize that there were a lot of things that he did now that he would have never done before. Maybe his time away wasn't so bad. He had certainly grown up, but she missed his playful side. There was no longer a spark in his eye. He had taken down all of his old Chudley Cannon posters in his room and hung one poster of his sister in her Hollyhead Harpy uniform instead. His room had been cleaned out of his old toys, and it was actually clean in there.

Suddenly, she realized that his blue eyes were on her. She wondered how long he had been watching her, and if he had been looking at her the whole time. His face was blank. There was no smile, no nod, no sign of acknowledgement. He held her gaze for only a moment and returned to his book. She sighed, maybe growing up wasn't such a good thing.

The morning had been spent in preparation of Harry and Ginny's wedding. They had to use a much larger tent this time since the guest list was twice as large as Bill and Fleur's wedding. Luckily, Ron had been given tasks that didn't require much interaction with people. Harry knew how uncomfortable Ron was going to be today and he wanted to make it as easy on his friend as possible.

Harry made his way to the kitchen where Ron was supposed to be putting the finishing touches on the trays, but he found the trays done and his friend gone. After searching the house, he made his way outside to the small clearing where they used to play Quidditch as kids. Ron was standing near the edge by a copse of trees with his back toward Harry.

"You alright there Ron?" he asked.

Ron leaned heavily into the tree, "Just trying to prepare myself. You know, try and put on a happy face, cause that's what they all want isn't it?"

Harry joined him by the tree, "You don't have to pretend Ron. I just want you there. It doesn't matter what anybody else wants."

Ron closed his eyes and rubbed his temples, "I'm happy for you and my sister, and I don't want to ruin your wedding, but I don't know how to act. I can't be the guy everyone knew. I don't know how anymore," he admitted with a resigned sigh.

Harry shook his head, "You don't have to be the same Ron. Everyone is just glad that you're here. I'm not saying that it's going to be easy, but since when is anything in our lives easy?"

Ron snorted, "True."

"Don't worry about anyone else. Let's just get through tonight." Harry started towards the house with Ron by his side. Ron decided that he was going to push aside his worries and try to focus on the fact that his best friend and little sister were getting married.


	9. Chapter 9

**Okay so I updated way sooner than I thought, but I wanted to get this posted. It might be a couple of weeks before there is another update, so I made this my longest chapter yet. Also, for those of you who have asked, yes, Roger is gay. Enjoy.**

Ron followed Harry to the front of the tent, all the while watching the surprised looks on people's faces when they saw him. He still didn't know how much of what he had done was public knowledge, but the looks on their faces made him uncomfortable. It wasn't until he passed Luna that he was able to smile. Her hair was up in a loose bun with several large and brightly colored flowers tucked in, and her dress was purple with feathers flowing down the skirt. She simply smiled at him with a far off look in her eyes and he could feel himself relax.

When they got into position Molly hurried over to him and started adjusting his tie, "Your tie was crooked."

Ron gave her a small smile, "Thanks, mum." She glanced up into his eyes and he could see the tears she was trying to hold back. Unable to speak, she nodded and moved to take her seat next to Bill. Harry began fidgeting, causing Ron to laugh. He hadn't seen harry this nervous, not even when he was facing Voldemort.

Music began to play and everyone turned their attention to the back of the tent where Hermione had just entered. Her normally bushy hair had been straightened, half of it pulled up with the rest falling in soft ringlets down her back. She was wearing a deep burgundy dress that was form fitted at the top and flowed out at the bottom. She looked beautiful, and Ron was reminded of the yule ball that they had been forced to attend during fourth year. It was a bittersweet memory for him, but one that he wouldn't trade.

Hermione's eyes found his as she was nearing the front and she smiled rather awkwardly. He returned her smile, but quickly turned away to find his sister entering the tent. Her bright red hair was pinned up in an intricate bun with a few strands framing her face with curls. The dress she was wearing was simple and elegant. It was strapless with layers of tulle making up the skirt. She was wearing their Aunt Muriel's tiara which surprised him. She had never been into flashy jewelry, but he had a feeling that she had been pushed to wear it.

His father guided her down the aisle towards them, and Ron realized that he was glad he had returned. He couldn't imagine missing this. The look on Ginny's face alone was enough to make him smile without it being forced. He was no longer worried about anything else. He could get through this for them, and he wouldn't even need to pretend.

The wedding seemed to go by quickly, ending in some of George's fireworks lighting up the night. The chairs were magically moved to create a dance floor in the center with tables lining the area. Ron was ushered to a table in the corner by his mother and was glad to be out of the way. Maybe if he kept to himself everyone else would leave him alone. Unfortunately, that wasn't going to be the case.

It started with the Patil twins coming over to ask how he was doing. He could tell immediately that they were looking for some fresh gossip to report so he kept his answers short. One after another, people were coming up to him, trying to get him to talk about where he's been, and what he's been up to. Within thirty minutes of the reception starting, Ron was ready to disappear. His Aunt Muriel was the latest of his unwanted visitors and he felt like screaming.

"Hello Ron. Neville is busy right now, would you like to dance?" a soft, airy voice asked.

He looked up into the face of Luna Lovegood and practically leapt up from his seat, "Yes, Luna. I'd love to. Excuse me Auntie Muriel."

He led her to the dance floor, realizing only then that they were going to be dancing, "Don't worry Ron. We'll go slow."

He placed his right hand on the small of her back and took her right hand in his left, "Thank you Luna."

Once again she smiled at him, "Oh you're very welcome. You seemed very uncomfortable."

"Yeah, well…"

She cut him off, "Have you read about the Snorkracks? They've been causing quite a stir lately."

He laughed, thankful at the moment for Luna's flighty nature, "No, actually I haven't."

"My father recently wrote an article about it. I have a copy with me if you'd like to read it," she replied.

"I would love to Luna, thanks." Ron was glad that he had someone to talk who wasn't trying to pump him for information. Luna was the type of person that lived in the moment. The past is the past, and he liked that.

"May I cut in?" Ron turned to see Neville and reluctantly handed her over.

He was about to try and slip away when someone tapped him on the shoulder, "Would you like to dance?" Ginny didn't wait for an answer; she simply grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the middle of the dance floor. "Thank you for today. It really meant a lot to me."

He nodded, "No big deal."

A single tear rolled down her cheek, "It is a big deal. I was so excited when Harry told me that you agreed to be his best man. I love George, but it wouldn't have been the same." Ron didn't know what to say to that. He and Ginny had always fought like cats and dogs. His eyes were searching for some way to leave without hurting her feelings when her voice brought his eyes back to her, "I've missed you Ron."

He sighed. He didn't realize how much he needed to hear someone say that until she did, "I missed you too Ginny. Congratulations, you know, on getting married." He felt like such a prat, but her laughter was nice to hear.

"Thanks."

He was relieved when the song ended. He was tired of people looking at them in the middle of the dance floor. He turned to grab a drink, but a head of brown hair in a burgundy dress had him going the opposite direction. He wasn't ready to have another row with Hermione, especially not here at Harry and Ginny's wedding.

He was able to slip through the flaps of the tent and was finally able to breathe. He knew that he couldn't run to his room and hide, but he really needed a break. His earlier happiness at being present for the wedding was fading with all of the pointed stares and whispers that were obviously about him.

A noise near the side of the house had him on edge. It could just be one of the many party guests, but he decided to check it out. As quietly as he could, he crept over to the house and poked his head out. There, by one of his mother's bushes, was Roger, throwing up. Ron considered leaving him, but he couldn't. His mother would kill him if she found out. Instead, he knelt by the man's side and helped him over to the back door where they would be less likely to be seen.

Leaving Roger by the door, Ron ran upstairs to the bathroom and fished out one of his mother's concoctions that was supposed to help with sickness. On his way back down he decided to grab a glass of water since he knew what her concoctions usually tasted like. When he finally made it back to Roger, his head was leaning against the doorframe and his face appeared to be extremely pale. "Oi, drink this."

Roger's eyes opened slightly and he winced, "Soooo bright." Ron groaned when he realized that the man was drunk. This was the last thing he wanted, although it was getting him out of the reception so he couldn't complain too much.

"Open your mouth," Ron commanded. Roger complied and he was able to get the green goop down his throat. When Roger started gagging because of the awful taste Ron lifted the glass of water, "One more time." The water took a few tries, but he was finally able to get him to drink it all.

"You're nice," Ron rolled his eyes, but Roger continued, "I don't know why Her…Hem…Hermy…she is mad at you." Ron really didn't want to discuss this right now with this drunken git. He moved to get up, but Roger grabbed his arm, "Cute too. Did you know you're cute?" Ron ripped his arm out of Roger's grasp and stood up. _Was this guy hitting on him? _

"I'm going to go get Hermione for you, okay?" he rushed off without waiting for an answer. It took him a minute to find her once he got back into the tent, but once he did he made a beeline for her. "Hermione!" She quickly turned around, obviously surprised that he was calling out for her, "You need to come with me. Your 'friend' Roger is drunk, and I was trying to take care of him, but he started acting really weird, and I didn't know what to do."

She placed her drink down on the nearest table and followed him to where he left Roger. When they got there, Roger was passed out on the floor and Hermione groaned at the sight. "Will you help me get him to the couch?"

Ron lifted the man up onto his shoulders and carried him to the living room. "I gave him one of mum's potions to stop him from throwing up and made him drink some water."

She nodded as he relayed what he had already done. Something was bothering her, "You said he was acting weird. Weird how?"

"He said something about me being nice, he didn't know why you were mad at me, and…he said I was cute," Ron mumbled the last bit hoping she wouldn't catch it, but of course she did.

She laughed softly, "Well, that's not exactly weird behavior for him." Ron wondered what that was supposed to mean, but didn't think it was his place to ask. He stood there for several minutes, the awkwardness between them growing until she spoke again, "I'll take care of it from here. You can enjoy the party if you want."

He snorted and shook his head, "Yeah, sure. I'll leave you to it then."

Ron started to leave, but her soft voice stopped him, "I'm sorry." He turned back around, not really sure if she actually said it. Her eyes were glued to the carpet in front of her as she continued, "I'm sorry about yelling at you. I just don't understand why you won't just talk to us. I mean, Harry and I were your best friends! We could help you!" She seemed to realize that her voice was much louder and everything she was saying was coming out more forceful than she intended. She took a deep breath and her voice was once again soft, "I just wanted you to know that I'm here. If you don't want to tell me what happened, then I have to accept that, but I would like it if you would talk to me."

One look at her face, and Ron knew that she wanted to believe her own words, but he knew her. She wouldn't be able to let it go, and he was afraid to tell her. Hermione was always quick to judge, and he couldn't bear to see the look of disgust on her face when she learned what he had done, "Hermione…I don't know if I'll ever be ready to talk about what happened with you. I'm sorry." He turned and walked out the door before she could say anything else.


	10. Chapter 10

**Sorry for the long delay. I've been busy. Thank you to everyone who has read, reviewed, and continues to read this fic. I am a little off about this chapter, but I will wait for your opinion on it. Enjoy**

Roger woke up the next morning with a fierce pounding in his head which was only getting worse due to the fact that he could hear Hermione in the next room slamming things around. He tried to shut the noise out by covering his head with a pillow, but it wasn't working. Slowly, he sat up, leaning against the headboard to keep himself from falling backwards. He clamped his eyes shut for several minutes to keep the room from spinning. Once he could open his eyes without getting dizzy, he swung his legs over the side and gingerly stood on his own two feet. When he was sure that he wouldn't fall down, he made his way out of his room and into the living room which was looking more like a war zone at the moment.

There were cushions strewn about the room, books were piled all around, and a broken picture frame lay at his feet. He picked up the frame and saw that it contained the picture of Hermione, Ron, and Harry in their first year at Hogwarts. A crash from the kitchen made him jump and he spun so fast that he was once again dizzy. Hermione's shrill voice reached his ears and had him wishing that he had remained in bed, "DAMN BLOODY GIT!" Another crash had him moving toward his friend in time to see her throw a slightly burnt batch of sausage across the room.

"Hermione? Is everything alright?" he timidly asked, earning him a glare from the fiery woman.

"Does it bloody look like everything is alright?" She slammed the pan back onto the stove and tossed a couple more sausages into it.

"Why don't you let me cook? You could sit down and relax for a few minutes."

Her eyes narrowed, "I am perfectly capable of cooking breakfast!"

Roger threw his hands up in defense, "I know that, but I figured you could use a few minutes to yourself. I just wanted to help."

She opened her mouth to answer him, but the smell of burning food caught her attention first, "Bloody hell!"

Roger gently scooted her out of the way and took over the breakfast preparations. He was able to save the sausages this time, but barely. Hermione sat down at the table with a huff. Roger wasn't sure what happened to get her so riled up, but he had a feeling it had something to do with Ron. He didn't remember most of what happened last night, but he did remember Ron making him drink something awful.

They were silent throughout breakfast. Roger kept chancing glances at his friend, but she seemed to be focused on her food. When they finished, Hermione took their dishes and set them in the sink. Roger followed her out to the living room, waiting for her to let her guard down enough that she would open up to him. He had only known Hermione for a couple of years, but he knew her well enough to not try and talk to her when she was angry.

He finally got his opening when she spied the mess that she had created. The broken picture frame caught her eye and she rushed over to pick it up from where he had set it down. A single tear slid down her cheek, causing Roger to rush to her and scoop her up in his arms. "Care to tell me what happened?"

"He doesn't want to talk to me. He said that he didn't think he would ever be ready to talk to me about what happened. I told him that he didn't have to, that I just wanted to be his friend again, but he walked away."

Roger pulled her to the couch and sat her down, kneeling in front of her, "Hermione, I love you, and I'm going to say something that you might not want to hear." He took a deep breath and gently squeezed her hands, "You have a tendency to be judgmental." Her face scrunched up and she opened her mouth to speak, but he stopped her by gently placing a finger over her lips, "You know it's true, and I can see why Ron would be a little hesitant to talk to you. I told you before and I'll tell you again, you need to find a way to be there for him without judging him, and if you can't, then you need to let it go until he is ready to come to you."

She sighed and more tears slipped from her eyes, "I don't want to be judgmental. I just want my Ron back."

She leaned over so that her forehead was resting gently on his, "I know you do, honey. Maybe someday you'll get him back." He didn't want to tell her that it might not happen. That Ron would never be the same, but right now she needed hope and encouragement.

Ron had spent the morning cleaning up decorations, helping his father tear down the tent, and eating the leftover food that they couldn't store. His current job included cleaning out George and Fred's old room. George and Angelina were going to be staying with them for a few weeks until the babies come. He was happy that he could be here for the birth of George's children. Finding out about Victoire when he returned was hard. He didn't know how to act around her and he didn't want to be the same way with the newest additions to the Weasley family.

Lifting one of the dusty boxes from the floor, he started the trying task of going through his dead brother's things. He knew that George hadn't really been in here since the death of Fred. Every once in a while Ron would hear his mom stop outside of the door and let out a soft sigh. Fred's death was still fresh in everyone's minds. It would be hard on George to be back in here again. There were so many memories, and the contents of the first box brought them flooding back.

Inside of the box were their first few products that they created while at Hogwarts. There were a few nosebleed nougats, the punching telescope that gave Hermione a black eye once, and some ton-tongue toffees. He remembered Harry describing the way his cousin Dudley's tongue swelled after Fred and George 'accidentally' dropped some for him to eat, he remembered the tongue lashing his mother gave them both after their punching telescope gave Hermione a black eye, and he remembered the way that Hermione would get on their cases every time they tried to test their products out on one of the younger students.

He found himself laughing at the memories. It was nice to remember Fred in a good way. For so long, his thoughts had been consumed with his brother's death, and now he was able to look back at the good times that they shared. His brother's hijinks were the stuff of legend, and more than once they caused Ron a whole lot of trouble.

He was just finishing up going through all of the old boxes when George came through the door with a questioning look. Ron had spent the last hour alternating between crying and laughing. Currently, he was laughing so hard that he was crying. His cheeks were wet, his eyes were bloodshot, and he was gripping his sides that were cramping up from his laughter.

"Mum? I think Ron's gone mental," he tried to sound serious, but couldn't hold in the laughter that was breaking out. It had been a while since George had really laughed.

Their mother came through the door to find both of her boys laughing uncontrollably. Tears came to her eyes and she smiled so big that her face felt like it would split in two. It was nice to see her boys happy. They had both been so melancholy that their laughter caused her heart to swell. She was joined by a very pregnant Angelina and her husband who both smiled at the scene before them. For the first time in a long time, things felt right.


	11. Chapter 11

**Sorry for the long delay in posting, but real life sucks right now. I will try to get on a regular posting schedule for all of my stories, but I can't make any promises right now. Enjoy**

Ron had been staring at the paper in front of him for well over an hour and still couldn't bring himself to write anything. He couldn't get his conversation with Hermione out of his head. Truthfully, he missed his friendship with her, no matter how infuriating she had been, and he wanted to have her back in his life.

Going through Fred's stuff had been hard, but the memories that were evoked were ones he treasured. He had forgotten how much fun he had with his family and at Hogwarts with his friends. He had been so focused on the bad things that had happened that he blocked out the good. When he finished with Fred's boxes he decided to look through his own. With each box that he went through he became more resolved in his decision to contact Hermione and at least try to become her friend again, but now that he was staring at the parchment in front of him his resolve was crumbling.

He wasn't sure how much to tell her. Should he be honest and see how she reacts? Or should he try to rebuild their relationship first? He decided on the latter choice because he was a coward, and now that he knew he wanted her back in his life, he didn't want her to run away. With the decision made, he finally put pen to paper and began the letter that would hopefully be the start of their renewed friendship.

* * *

Hermione was finishing up a report on centaur relations when a hard knock resounded on her door. A sigh escaped her and she called out for whoever it was to enter. Once she saw the platinum blond hair she regretted not asking who it was. "Hello, Mudblood."

"What do you want Malfoy?"

He threw himself down in the chair across from her and propped his feet up on her desk, "I heard Weasley is back, but he doesn't want anything to do with you. I'm sure Blaise would consider giving you another chance, although I'm not sure why he would bother with a filthy mudblood like you."

Hermione was furious. Her 'relationship' with Blaise had come at a bad time in her life. She was still mourning over Ron and he had 'comforted' her. She knew it had been a mistake, but it continued on for about a month before Roger put a stop to it. He saved Hermione from herself and she shuddered to think what would have become of her if Roger hadn't helped her. Steeling herself, she knocked Malfoy's feet from her desk, nearly knocking him out of the chair in the process, "You would do well to hold your tongue on matter you know nothing of." Her voice was cold and hard. She could see the fear in his eyes and it brought her back to third year when she punched him. She enjoyed watching him squirm so she continued, "You no longer have a powerful family to hide behind, Malfoy."

He stood with a huff and straightened out his cloak. He opened his mouth to say something, but the door flew open again and Roger stepped in, "Hello, Hermione. Is everything okay?"

Her eyes never strayed from Malfoy's as she answered, "Everything is just fine. Draco was just leaving, weren't you?"

Draco sneered at her before pushing his way past Roger to the corridor beyond. Hermione rolled her eyes at his actions. He still acted like the snobby little git he was in school. She thought that he might change somewhat over the last few years, but he was still stuck on himself. Roger's hand on her shoulder brought her out of her mind, "What did he want?"

She shrugged, "To irritate me. It seems to be his favorite past time." She moved back to her chair and took a seat. She couldn't wait for this day to be over. Her head was pounding and Malfoy's visit only served to piss her off, making her head throb even more.

"I was getting ready to leave and wanted to know if you were ready to go."

She groaned, "I have this centaur report to finish and then I was going to go talk to Arthur. I wanted to see how Ron is doing."

"Alright, I'll see you at home."

Once he was gone, Hermione gently rested her head on her desk. She considered leaving the centaur report for later. Hermione was never one to procrastinate, but right now she was ahead on her work and it wasn't actually due until next week. She had just made her decision when a tapping on the window caught her attention. She was surprised to see Pigwidgeon with an envelope in his beak. It took her a moment to overcome her surprise and let him in. He only stayed long enough to deliver his letter and accept a snack before he was back out the window.

Assuming the letter was from Ginny, she nearly screamed in surprise to see that it was in fact from Ron. His sloppy scrawl was very familiar after years of helping with his assignments. Her headache was forgotten as she sat down to read the letter from her once best friend.

_Dear Hermione,_

_I have been doing a lot of thinking lately, and I would like to try being your friend again. I many not deserve your forgiveness, but I am sorry for pushing you away. I'm not the same person that I was. If this is going to work, you need to understand that. I don't feel comfortable talking about everything that has happened over the last few years right now, and I may never be. Truthfully, I miss you, and Harry. I hope that we can start again. I love my family, but it would be nice to have someone else to talk to every once in a while. I hope to hear from you soon._

_Your Friend,_

_Ron_

Tears of happiness formed in her eyes. She was afraid that she had lost Ron for good, but this letter gave her hope. It wasn't lost on her how different he sounded, but she didn't care. She would take what she could get at this point. She read over the letter a few times before grabbing some parchment to reply.

_Ron,_

_Thank you for your letter. I was surprised to hear from you, but it was a good surprise. I've missed you too, and getting your letter made my day. I'm so sorry that you don't feel like you can talk to me about what happened, but I will do my best to respect your wishes. I don't want to push you and will be there for you in any way that you want me. _

_I know that you can't leave without your parents, but would you like me to come visit you? I could come by in a few days if you like. If you would rather communicate by owl that would be fine with me. I'm not really sure what to do right now, so I will let you lead. I hope to hear from you soon._

_Your Friend,_

_Hermione_

_**I may change this chapter a little later, but for now this is how it will stay**_


	12. Chapter 12

**Yay and update and it didn't take me two months! Enjoy**

It was awkward to say the least. Hermione sat on the old worn couch with Ron beside her. They had done fine with the intial greeting, but now here they sat in silence, each fidgeting and unsure of what to do now. Hermione decided to try and get a conversation going, "So, Ron, what have you been getting up to?"

He jumped slightly at the sound of her voice, but answered anyway, "I've mainly been cleaning. Mum's had me going through old boxes this last week. That's actually why I wrote. I found some of my old Hogwart's things and it got me thinking about you and Harry."

She smiled. It seemed she had found a subject that they could discuss, "I went through some old photo albums after I got your letter as well. We certainly got ourselves into some fine messes, didn't we?"

She saw his mouth turn up on the side and her smile increased, "Sure did. You know, when I started at Hogwart's, I was hoping to fit in and find my own place. Having a big family like mine made it hard you know, but I never expected to make friends with you and Harry, or to fight year after year against the world's most feared dark wizard. They really should have put that on the brochure."

They laughed at the joke together and it felt good. This was the Ron she remembered. When she finally regained her breath she continued, "I still probably would have gone. I was so excited to be a wizard that nothing would have stopped me. I might have chosen my friends a little differently," she said while playfully nudging his shoulder.

He quirked an eyebrow, "The only reason we were ever friends was because we had to save your arse from that mountain troll! If it weren't for that we would have continued to avoid you just like everyone else!"

She narrowed her gaze at him, "Well, without me you two probably would have been killed time and time again!"

He laughed and she couldn't help but follow. Once the laughter died away she saw Ron's happy expression slowly melt away into a hard mask, "I probably could have used your help these last few years." He glanced in her direction and tried to smile, but it came out a grimace, "Sorry, didn't mean to spoil the good mood."

She took a deep breath and decided to push forward. She promised she wouldn't push him, but he obviously needed someone, "You were the vigilante that everyone was looking for, weren't you? You killed all those death eaters, didn't you?" His eyes closed and he took a deep breath before nodding. She took his hand in hers, "You can't beat yourself up over it, Ron. They were evil and you probably saved a lot of people by doing what you did."

Before she could process what was going on, he was out of his seat and his hand was ripped from between hers, "You have no idea what I did! I killed people Hermione! It doesn't matter that they were evil, because I hunted them down and I killed them! I tried to justify what I did, but no justification can forgive my actions. I lost who I was and I became a monster." His shoulders slumped and he took a shaky breath, "I thought I was doing the right thing. I did save people, but what I did...I can't take it back. I can't change it. I'm trying so hard to get my life back, Hermione, but every death eater that I killed took a piece of me and I can't get it back. I don't want to be a monster."

Hermione noticed that he was trembling and stood to hug him. It caught him by surprise and he froze for a second before returning the hug. She took a breath and lifted her head so that she could speak into his ear, "You are no monster, Ronald Weasley. You're right, I have no idea the things that you have done, but I do know that. The way you are speaking to me now speaks volumes." She could feel her hair growing damp and knew that it was from his tears, "You are one of my best friends, and I am going to do everything I can to help you. You aren't alone anymore, Ron."

It seemed that her assurance that he wasn't alone was all it took to open the flood gates. His body collapsed, taking her with him to the floor where he broke out into gut wrenching sobs. She simply held him and let him cry, allowing a few tears of her own to join his. It took a good twenty minutes for the tears to stop and their breathing to return. Finally, he regained his composure enough to mumble a quick, "Thanks".

She pulled away from him and returned to her seat on the couch, "I don't think it's good for you to be here all the time. Are you allowed to leave at all?"

His brow furrowed in confusion, "Um...yeah...if one of my parents are with me. Why?"

"Well, we both know that you tend to get inside your own head and freak yourself out. I think you need to get away from here for a little while. Do you think Kingsley would allow you to get a job if you were supervised?"

He scoffed, "Who is their right mind would hire a bloody criminal like me?"

She thought for a moment, "What about George? He could supervise you and you could get out of the house for a while. If not maybe you could come visit me or Harry for a little while once a week. I just know that if you were to get out then you would be able to clear your head."

She watched him quietly as he thought it over. She knew that getting out would be good for him. She remembered his time as the house keeper. He was fine when it was Harry or Ginny practicing with him, but then he would let the Slytherin get into his head and psych him out. He so easily believed the bad things about himself that he would shut out the good ones. When his eyes met hers once more she knew his answer, "I'll talk to Kingsley."

* * *

For the next few hours conversation flowed smoothly. Ron was amazed that Hermione was still here with him. She didn't know everything, but she knew enough and yet she was still here, laughing with him. They mostly spoke of Hogwarts and she told him about her job at the ministry. He thought he would be bored with it, but found himself getting excited over the projects she was working on. The love she had for her job really showed and he was happy that she was doing what she loved.

His mother and Angelina showed up about two hours ago and were in the kitchen making dinner. Hermione had offered to help them, but they refused. He was glad because he wasn't ready to give up his time with her just yet. He was scared that she wouldn't want anything to do with him, but she proved that he was an idiot one again. They still had a lot to discuss, but now he wasn't as afraid. She was right, he wasn't alone anymore and it's about time he started appreciating that fact. When his mother called for dinner she went to leave, but he stopped her and asked her to join them. The smile that she rewarded him with was blinding. Looking around the table, it was the first time he acknowledged that he was really home.

**So Hermione now had an idea of what happened in Ron's past and she is still here. She doesn't know any specifics yet, but that is to come.**


	13. Chapter 13

****I'm so sorry that I have taken forever to update this story, but life happens. I've been working on another project, but I made a promise to post on this one too, so here it is. Enjoy****

Today Ron was meeting with Kingsley and his nerves were slightly frayed. He promised Hermione that he would ask about the possiblity of working under his brother's supervision, or seeing if he would allow Harry or Hermione to surpervise him so that he could visit. He had already talked to George about working in the store room or something. He didn't want to be around a bunch of people, and George agreed that it might be best. His brother seemed thrilled that Ron offered to help. It made Ron wonder if George was lonely working in the store he opened with Fred.

Kingsley arrived at precisely three o'clock. His mum had set out a plate of cookies, and retreated to the kitchen to give them some privacy. She knew what he planned to ask, and told him to call her if he needed her. He was grateful for everything she was doing for him. He knew it wasn't easy for her, but he hoped that he could find a way to ease her burden.

Kingsley shook Ron's hand before taking a seat on the couch, "Ron, how are you?"

Ron sat in one of the chairs directly across from him, "I'm good. How're you?"

"I'm doing well. I'm happy to hear that you made amends with Hermione. It seems you've been doing very well."

Ron was a little surprised at first, but figured Hermione must have said something, "Yeah. She's been great. Actually, she gave me an idea that I wanted to talk to you about."

His eyebrow raised slightly in question, "Oh?"

Ron cleared his throat and forced himself to respond, "Well sir, she suggested that I ask if it would be alright to work with my brother George at his store, under his supervision."

Kingsley's face turned stoney, "Did she?"

He was a little worried about his response, so he pushed forward, "Yes, she did. If that's not alright then she also suggested that maybe her or Harry could supervise me for a short time so that I could visit them." The expression on Kingsley's face was hard to read, but Ron was pretty sure that he was about to be rebuffed.

"I will talk to Hermione and Harry about possibly setting up a time that you could visit. They are both capable of watching you, and I trust them. If they agree, you will have to send in a schedule outlining the times that you will be visiting and whom. The schedule must be sent to me for approval a week prior, and if you are unable to stick to the schedule, then you must contact me and explain why. Your mother or father will escort you to their homes and back. If you are unable to make it at the scheduled time, and have not contacted me explaining why, then you will be taken in to azkaban until your hearing. Do you have any questions?"

Ron was surprised, yet ecstatic that he would be able to see his friends, "No sir."

Kingsley stood, "Very well, I will return again next month to check on your progress. I hope for your sake you continue to do well."

They shook hands once again before Kingsley disapparated. He knew it would be at least a week before he could go visit Harry and Hermione, but the knowledge that he could gave him something to look forward to. His mother came in the room after she heard the door close, "Well? What did he say?"

He pulled her into a hug, "He said that if Harry and Hermione agree to supervise me I can go see them!"

"That's wonderful, Ron!"

He filled her in on the conditions of his visits, and she readily agreed to take him. It made her happy to see him smile, and maybe this arrangement would help to heal his heart a little more.

Later that night he received an owl from Hermione telling him that Kingsley had talked to her, and she agreed to supervise him. The note also said that Kingsley made her promise that they wouldn't leave her apartment. He didn't really care about that though. It was a change of scenery, and he would take it gladly. He expected a letter from Harry too, but nothing came. He wasn't sure when Harry and Ginny would be back from their honeymoon, but it couldn't be too much longer.

* * *

Three days later, Ron received an owl from Kingsley saying that he had talked to both Harry and Hermione and that they agreed to to let him visit under their supervision. There were a list of dates and times that his friends were available and he was instructed to pick one for each of them. That would give him two afternoons out of the house and he was looking forward to it. He was still a little surprised that Harry hadn't written him, but it didn't really matter. He agreed, that's what mattered.

He went into the kitchen to find his mother. He wanted her to help him choose which times would be best since she had to take him over there and pick him up, "Mum? I got a letter from Kingsley. We need to choose when would be best for my visits."

"Of course, dear. Let me see," she took the paper and looked it over while she finished with dinner, "I think Saturday would be a lovely day to visit with Hermione. She is available all day and that is when I usually do my shopping, so I could drop you off and pick you up when I've finished. Ginny has training most days, but I believe Wednesdays are good for her. You would be able to visit with your sister and Harry."

Ron shook his head, "I don't know. I don't want to mess up their time together."

They heard the front door open and several thuds sound before a familiar voice rang out, "Mum? Ron? Are you here?"

"Ginny!" he watched his little sister get pulled into a bone crushing hug by their mum and laughed heartily.

Harry appeared behind them and pushed past to shake Ron's hand, "Hello, Ron. How've you been?"

Ron's smile was genuine and Harry could tell the difference right away, "I've been good, actually. I talked to Hermione a few days ago. She came by and we had a nice little chat."

Harry grinned at his best mate, "I'm happy to hear it. She's missed you. We all have."

Ron's gaze fell to the floor in shame, "I know."

"Kingsley asked me if I would be comfortable watching you one day a week."

Ron looked back at his friend who had a warm smile on his face, "Yeah. Hermione convinced me to talk to him. I've been going mad here, and she thought it would be good for me to get out. I'm going to spend a day with her too. You don't mind, do you?"

Harry's face scrunched up, "Of course not! I'll be happy to have my best mate back."

Ron's smile returned, "Good. Mum and I were just looking at the schedule that Kingsley sent and were trying to pick a day. We decided that Saturday I would visit with Hermione so that mum can get her shopping done."

Harry nodded, "What day are you going to come see me?"

Before he could answer, he was wrapped up in his sister's arms, "I missed you, Ron!"

"I missed you too, Ginny. How was your honeymoon?"

She was beaming, and he found himself not wanting the answer to that question, "It was really good! We..."

He cut her off, "I don't think I want you to explain what you did, thanks."

Harry and Ron laughed at the shared look of horror that passed over his mum and Ginny's faces. "Ronald Weasley!"

They eventually joined in and they moved their reunion into the kitchen, "You never told me what day you were going to visit."

"Oh, right. We wanted to talk to you about that. Mum said that Ginny is off on Wednesdays, but I didn't want to take away from your time together."

Harry's mouth opened to respond, but it was Ginny's voice that reached his ears, "You had better pick a day that I will be home, Ronald Weasley! I want to see you too!"

Ron took a step back in fear. She may be his little sister, but she was scary as hell, "Wednesday it is then."


End file.
